LOS ANGELES - Roger Goodell needs to punish Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay in order to close a "credibility gap" that exists between the commissioner and players, NFL Players Association president DeMaurice Smith told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday.

Irsay was charged last week with two misdemeanor counts of impaired driving following his arrest in March. The NFL's personal conduct policy applies to all league employees, including ownership, and now Smith and the members of the union are closely watching to see if, when and how Goodell will punish Irsay.

"We've had players that have been punished under the personal conduct policy before charges have been resolved, and now you have an owner where the charges are significant that he's been charged with," Smith said. "The failure of Roger to address this in the same way that he's addressed issues about active players has created a very serious credibility gap."

The Irsay situation was just one of several topics Smith addressed in a 15-minute interview with USA TODAY Sports Thursday morning following Smith's speech to more than 40 rookies at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles.

Smith changed the topic of speech to the rookies after New Orleans Saints players visited the Louisiana state capitol on Wednesday to protest a proposed bill that would have limited players' ability to collect worker's compensation benefits. He said that action by union members is an interesting contract to a formal presentation happening today at the White House, where officials from the NFL and NCAA are participating in a summit on sports concussions.

Q: These players will participate in the NFL's Rookie Symposium later this spring. What do you hope they take away from your remarks today?

Smith: For us, I think it's important for our young men to realize that when they come into the NFL, it isn't front page news at the draft, that they are also becoming members of the union at the same time. But that's important. Whether it's the [Organized Team Activity] practices they are going to know, that might have limits on contact; whether they're heading to training camp where there are no two-a-day practices; or whether they are injured and are ultimately going to file for workers comp, all of those things are things that are dictated by the collective bargaining agreement, and they're rights are only fought for by one group of people. That's a lesson that you have to learn early, because if you don't … think about it, our first CBA was in 1993. The reason why they have the ability to generate revenue, why they can be in a video game and get money from that, or the reason why they can get revenue from the sale of their jersey, it's all because of men before them that fought for their rights.

Q: So much of what you talk about is the business side of football. How important is it now for players to be able to make money off themselves and their image compared to the NCAA model?

Smith: The whole thing is different, you're in a college system where there aren't really parameters on the amount of time you can practice, the college scholarship model is different because some teams continue to have kids show up thinking they're getting a scholarship and once they get there they find out they don't have them; you remember the comments from [Connecticut basketball player] Shabazz [Napier] after the NCAA tournament that sometimes they go to bed hungry. The relationship that players have with the NCAA is vastly different from the relationship players have in our system with the NFL, and the only reason is that exists is this union. That's it.

Q: Why did you chose to speak about the Saints' actions in Louisiana?

Smith: Nothing is by accident. The fun thing about this, for me, the role that I enjoy the most is the teaching role. The dichotomy of a public announcement today [about concussions] and what our Saints players had to go through to get a bill defeated, a bill that was offered by their own owner, this comes down to a commitment of personal capital that is far beyond just what our players do on the field. To have a group of players come off OTAs, when they probably want to go home, when their bodies are sore, to get on a bus to Baton Rouge, yeah. It's not even just Drew [Brees]. It's having a group of guys that care. Guys that are going to fight. You have Zach Strief on that team, Ben Watson, guys that have not only won great games together, but, if Drew Brees wasn't there, 49 other guys would have been on that bus. Drew is a terrific leader, but he will tell you he's surrounded by terrific leaders.

Q: You mentioned OTAs already. Will the NFLPA be looking into the circumstances that led to Sean Lee's injury in Dallas?

Smith: What we do is we always take a look at any incident where a player gets hurt during OTAs. That's something we've done for the last four years, and we'll make a determination about what the next steps are.

Q: Based on what you've seen, do you think illegal contact occurred there?

Smith: Yes, I've seen it, but we'll sit down with a group over the next two days and take a look at not only what we've learned about contact there, but contact at a couple of other teams. We usually review all of them at the same time, and if we make a decision that there are further steps to take, we'll take them.

Q: What do you want the rookies here to understand about the NFL's personal conduct policy?

Smith: I care less about the conduct policy than I care about the conduct of our young men as sons, fathers, husbands, men in their community. None of our guys are defined by the conduct policy. Roger Goodell doesn't frame who our players are. The focus for me and this union would be the same focus that I would want to have for my own sons and daughters, I would never consider them in a framework of whether they got in trouble at school. That makes no sense. What makes the most sense to us is to make sure that all of our young men understand that they are joining a fraternity of men, and their families, that have come before them, and they have an obligation to understand that, and appreciate it.

Q: Where does NFLPA stand on potential changes to conduct/drug policies regarding increased penalties for DUI and reduced punishment for marijuana?

Smith: All of those issues are wrapped up in the comprehensive drug policy that we negotiate with the National Football League. More important than punishment for DUIs, more important than the punishment for marijuana use is the fact that we don't have HGH testing in the NFL now, because Roger Goodell is more concerned about his power than the integrity of the game. Until our fans and members of Congress and people who care about this game on every level come to grips that this policy is not in place because the commissioner doesn't like neutral arbitration, that's an insult to the game.

Smith: This entire policy is being held up because one person cares more about his power than the integrity of the game. Why would we ever spend time addressing collateral issues instead of addressing the macro issue about why this drug policy isn't in place? All of those are tied to the drug policy.

Q: But the DUI and marijuana issues are things your players might be confronted with soon, and could affect guys that are here. How will you address that?

Smith: Our guys deal with integrity of the game issues more than they deal with any singular issue. Our players get fined if they don't wear the right socks, if their jerseys aren't in conformity. Why? Because our league cares about the image and the integrity of the game. As we sit here today, the comprehensive drug policy that would vastly improve the integrity of the game is being held up because one man cares more about his power than the integrity of the game that they preach.

Q: What else would you like to see included in the NFL's drug policy?

Smith: I would like to see us have a comprehensive drug policy, the one that's being held up. That's it. So the drug policy is not simply marijuana or DUIs. It's a comprehensive policy that was collectively bargained to enhance the integrity of the game. The real issue here is why that is being held up. There's only one reason that hasn't happened. I don't think it's helpful to spend time on the pieces where he is holding up the whole.

Q: Now that Jim Irsay has been charged, how closely is the union watching to see Roger Goodell's reaction?

Smith: Extremely close. The commissioner has the ability now to put to rest the credibility gap that currently exists. We've had players that have been punished under the personal conduct policy before charges have been resolved, and now you have an owner where the charges are significant that he's been charged with. …The failure of Roger to address this in the same way that he's addressed issues about active players has created a very serious credibility gap. I believe it's important for our players to respect the National Football League, and I think it's important for our players to have a healthy respect for the commissioner, and I would say that for any league. But when they see a disparity in treatment, and a difference in the way that owners are treated than players are treated in similar circumstances, once again that damages the credibility of the game and the credibility of the commissioner.

Q: Is there anything you are trying to do to expedite that process?

Smith: Roger knows what his duty is, and we both know that he hasn't hesitated in the past to make quick decisions when he believed it was necessary to preserve the integrity of the game. With the same diligence of effort that he has shown in the past, I'm confident that he knows what should be done in this case. It's a matter of will.